October 25, 2018

Baltimore-area businessman Leonard Stoler and his wife, Roslyn, have given a $25 million gift to help fund a major expansion of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Their generous gift is the largest philanthropic donation in the history of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).

The funds are earmarked for a state-of-the-art patient care tower that will enable UMGCCC to provide the most technologically advanced, integrated care to cancer patients locally, regionally and nationally, and position the center to meet the escalating demands for cancer care well into the future.

“Having a building dedicated uniquely to the care of our cancer patients will provide us with the opportunity to truly define the future of patient-centric cancer care at the University of Maryland Medical Center,” says Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and UMMC’s president and chief executive officer.

“Roslyn and Len Stoler have been incredible partners with our cancer center for 20 years, and we are forever grateful for their commitment to us and confidence in our ability to continue to make our oncology program among the finest in the world,” Dr. Suntha says. “They have been there for us in the past, they are part of our present, and now they are helping to transform our future.”

Kevin J. Cullen, MD, the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology at the UMSOM and director of the UMGCCC, says, “This new building, which will house both inpatient and outpatient cancer care, will be a huge leap forward in the history of the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. The cancer center’s new home will be designed from the ground up with the optimal patient experience in mind.”

UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president for medical affairs at UM Baltimore and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, notes, “This is a tremendous opportunity to expand our physical structural capacity to complement the strength that we have in discovery and clinical care.

“We are most fortunate that the Stolers share our vision for the cancer center. Their transformative gift will enable us to make the physical home of the Greenebaum Cancer Center the bricks and mortar as extraordinary as the work that goes on there every day,” Dr. Reece says.

Leonard Stoler founded the Len Stoler Automotive Group, starting out with one car dealership in Baltimore in 1968. His company now owns more than a dozen franchises in the Baltimore area and New York. The couple, who live in Stevenson, Md., have two children and 10 grandchildren. Both have been active in the community and philanthropic endeavors in the Baltimore area for many years.

Nearly 15 years ago, the Stolers made another transformative gift that enabled the construction of the cancer center’s outpatient pavilion, the Roslyn and Leonard Stoler Pavilion, where nearly three times as many patients are treated than when it opened in 2003.

“There are very few things that you can do that truly make a difference in a person’s life. In doing something for cancer patients, I think you are really making a difference,” Mr. Stoler said at the time.

The cancer center is one of only 49 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. It is a joint entity of UMMC and the UMSOM.

“We’re growing very, very rapidly, and it’s really been the success of what we do here in providing multidisciplinary care, access to cutting-edge clinical trials and state-of-the-art therapies that has expanded our ability to serve patients,” Dr. Cullen says. “The Stolers’ gift ensures that we will have a facility that enables us to provide care in as patient-friendly a manner as possible.”

In making the gift, the Stolers cite their long relationship with UMMC, where their granddaughter Lindsay was successfully treated for cancer 26 years ago when she was 4, and their commitment to doing what they can to help others.

“Our deepest wish is that we can bring some light to people who are suffering physically and mentally. If we help them in any way, we’re satisfied,” Mr. Stoler says. “I hope that we can make a difference. I really do. We’re going to do our best.”

His wife adds, “It all boils down to one thing. We care about people, and we want to help. Helping people is what is so important to both of us.”

The couple praised the doctors, nurses and staff at the cancer center for not only providing excellent medical treatment but also for their dedication and compassionate, caring attitude. “When people go there, they come back and tell us how well they’re treated. They’re not just taking care of patients, they’re caring for them,” Mrs. Stoler says.

In 2013, the Stolers also provided the funds for a chemotherapy robot that prepares drug doses three times faster than a pharmacist or technician. The robot was named for their granddaughter.

Roslyn Stoler has served on the board of the UMGCCC and is a current member of the board of Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, which is part of the 14-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). Leonard Stoler serves on the UMMS board.

The project is pending Certificate of Need (CON) approval from the State of Maryland after an anticipated project submission to the Maryland Health Care Commission in February 2019.

Upon approval from regulators, officials hope to break ground on the proposed 130,000-square-foot patient care building in late 2020 with an opening in early 2023. The structure, which will be built onto the front of the medical center at 22 S. Greene St., will be named for the Stolers.

The estimated cost is $175 million, with a commitment from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to provide $125 million in state funds for the project. The governor was successfully treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the Greenebaum Cancer Center in 2015.

“Roslyn and Len Stoler are two of the most gracious, generous people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Dr. Cullen says of the Stolers. “It’s exciting for us and exciting for them to help us create this new opportunity and new phase of success for the cancer center.”

Dr. Suntha says, “We are incredibly indebted to the Stolers for their historic investment in our cancer center. The state-of-the-art building that bears their name will literally change the face of the medical center. But, even more importantly, their gift will help us change the face of cancer care, enabling us to provide the most advanced treatments available to cancer patients anywhere.”

About the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Baltimore. The center is a joint entity of the University of Maryland Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine. It offers a multidisciplinary approach to treating all types of cancer and has an active cancer research program. It is ranked among the top cancer programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. www.umgccc.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is comprised of two hospitals in Baltimore: an 841-bed teaching hospital Downtown the flagship institution of the 14-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and a 177-bed community teaching hospital, UMMC Midtown Campus. UMMC is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neuroservices, cardiac care, diabetes and endocrinology, women’s and children’s health. All physicians on staff at the Downtown flagship hospital are faculty physicians of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At UMMC Midtown Campus, faculty physicians work alongside community physicians to provide patients with the highest quality care. UMMC Midtown Campus was founded in 1881 and is located one mile away from the Downtown Campus. For more information, visit umm.edu.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Celebrating its 210th Anniversary, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 and is the first public medical school in the United States and continues today as an innovative leader in accelerating innovation and discovery in medicine. The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland and is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. Located on the University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine works closely with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide a research-intensive, academic and clinically based education. With 43 academic departments, centers and institutes and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians and research scientists plus more than $400 million in extramural funding, the School is regarded as one of the leading biomedical research institutions in the U.S. with top-tier faculty and programs in cancer, brain science, surgery and transplantation, trauma and emergency medicine, vaccine development and human genomics, among other centers of excellence. The School is not only concerned with the health of the citizens of Maryland and the nation, but also has a global presence, with research and treatment facilities in more than 35 countries around the world. www.medschool.umaryland.edu.